Travel Blogger Series: Eat Your World!

Two of our favorite travel bloggers share a little global insight with you

Nov 8, 2012 —
While constantly researching the greatest places to go around the world, we often come across incredible writers and photographers who share in our neverending quest. We thought you should meet some of the best we've discovered along the way:

After years working together writing and photographing stories for (The New York Times), (New York magazine), (Draft), and other publications, Laura Siciliano-Rosen and Scott Rosen founded Eat Your World to celebrate their shared passion for finding local dishes while traveling. The website identifies and contextualizes destinations’ traditional/native foods and tells readers where to find them, among other travel tips, and invites users to contribute to its growing global database by uploading their own pics/stories of regional food.

How did you get into travel writing?

(From Laura) In late 2003, following a seven-month quit-my-job-and-travel stint, I was determined to make travel a part of my working life as much as possible. I’d always been a writer but had no clue how to make a business of it, so I took a few classes, learned the art of pitching, and put myself out there as a freelancer, never willing to trade in flexibility for full-time job security. I got into copy editing at various New York-based magazines—a reliable side gig I still keep today—and began to write for websites and magazines, at first for pennies, but eventually momentum picked up. Scott being a photographer made us a more self-sustainable package deal. Fast-forward several years and we founded the concept of Eat Your World as the next step in our careers, as we wished for something more permanent to call our own.

Tell us a brief story about the strangest/craziest/funniest thing that’s happened to you while writing about travel?

Well, there was the time we flew to Panama and rather recklessly accepted an offer from an older American expat we met on the plane to stay in his Panama City high-rise, a two-night alcohol-fueled ordeal that ended with us sneaking out at 5am—leaving him with his paid-for “girlfriend”—so we could escape to the islands, where our assignments awaited. Not something I would have done had I been traveling alone!

On a more positive note, it was while traveling in Colombia in late 2009 that we nailed down the idea for Eat Your World and even chose the domain name—Scott bought it from a computer in our hotel in Cartagena.

What’s your favorite part of writing about travel?

The travel part takes the cake—the opportunity to go out and interact with the world is absolutely priceless. I also appreciate the general lifestyle perks of working as a freelance writer (and editor): freedom in largely making my own schedule, working from home half the month, no office-imposed cap on vacation days. Of course, once you work in this field, you don’t take “vacations” anymore anyway! Working on Eat Your World has brought its own joys—and certainly challenges—as well. It’s incredible to have this awesome thing you’ve grown from scratch, and to know that every new destination I (and our contributors) write up only makes it bigger and better.

What are your favorite travel destinations and why?

Tough question! Basque country (of Spain and France), where we honeymooned back in 2005, will always be a favorite for its pastoral charm and truly mind-blowing cuisine. New Zealand we love for its jaw-dropping beauty; New Orleans for its good-time vibe and rich traditions (and flavors); Thailand for its spicy food and sweet people; Turkey for its fascinating history and tea-driven hospitality. We’ll always have a soft spot for the accessible Mayan culture and spectacular volcanic backcountry of Guatemala, and we hope that Sierra Leone, which we visited earlier this year, continues on a peaceful path so its stunning beaches, tropical jungle, and bighearted people are encountered by many more visitors to come.